Methods and systems for creating attachments between a sample manipulator and a sample within a charged particle systems are disclosed herein. Methods include translating a sample manipulator so that it is proximate to a sample, and milling portions of the sample manipulator such that portions are removed. The portion of the sample manipulator proximate to the sample is composed of a high sputter yield material, and the high sputter yield material may be the material milled with the charged particle beam such that it is removed from the sample manipulator. According to the present disclosure, the portions of the sample manipulator are milled such that at least some of the removed high sputter yield material redeposits to form an attachment between the sample manipulator and the sample.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A charged particle system, the system comprising: a charged particle emitter configured to emit charged particles towards a sample; a sample holder configured to support the sample; an optical column configured to direct the charged particles to be incident on the sample; a detector system configured to detect emissions from the sample due to irradiation by the charged particles; a sample manipulator including an intermediate body capable of being attached to a probe portion, the intermediate body composed of a high sputter yield material; one or more processors; and a memory storing non-transitory computer readable instructions, the one or more processors configured to execute the non-transitory computer readable instructions to: translate the probe so that it is proximate to the intermediate body, mill, with a charged particle beam, portions of the intermediate body proximate to the probe, wherein at least some of the removed intermediate body redeposits to form the attachment between the probe portion and the intermediate body, translate the sample manipulator so that it is proximate to a sample, wherein the intermediate body is proximate to the sample, and mill, with a charged particle beam, the high sputter yield material such that portions of the high sputter yield material is removed from the sample manipulator, and wherein at least some of the removed high sputter yield material redeposits to form an attachment between the sample manipulator and the sample, wherein the high sputter yield material corresponds to a rate of emission of greater than 5 atoms per ion when the high sputter yield material is irradiated with a 30 kV focused ion beam.
2. The charged particle system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to mill the high sputter yield material by milling multiple locations on the high sputter yield material proximate to the sample, wherein each of the multiple locations are located at an edge of the high sputter yield material proximate to the sample.
3. The charged particle system of claim 2, wherein there are multiple regions of the high sputter yield material that are not milled away along the edge of the sample proximate to the sample, and wherein the at least some of the removed high sputter yield material redeposits to form a plurality of attachments between the sample and individual ones of the at least one region of the high sputter yield material along the edge proximate to the sample that is not milled away.
4. The charged particle system of claim 2, wherein between the multiple locations is at least one region of the high sputter yield material along the edge proximate to the sample that is not milled away, and wherein the at least some of the removed high sputter yield material redeposits to form at least one attachment between the sample and the at least one region of the high sputter yield material along the edge proximate to the sample that is not milled away.
5. The charged particle system of claim 1, wherein the sample is at cryo-temperatures.
6. The charged particle system of claim 1, wherein the high sputter yield material is copper.
7. The charged particle system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to translate the sample manipulator by translating the sample manipulator such that the portion composed of the high sputter yield material is within 10 microns proximate to the sample.
8. The charged particle system of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors are configured to translate the sample manipulator by translating the sample manipulator such that the portion composed of the high sputter yield material is within one micron proximate to the sample.
9. The charged particle system of claim 1, wherein the intermediate body is attached to the probe portion of the sample manipulator via gas deposition.
10. A charged particle system, the system comprising: a charged particle emitter configured to emit charged particles towards a sample; a sample holder configured to support the sample; an optical column configured to direct the charged particles to be incident on the sample; a detector system configured to detect emissions from the sample due to irradiation by the charged particles; a sample manipulator configured to manipulate the sample; one or more processors; and a memory storing non-transitory computer readable instructions, the one or more processors configured to execute the non-transitory computer readable instructions to: translate the sample manipulator so that it is proximate to the sample, wherein a portion of the sample manipulator proximate to the sample is composed of a high sputter yield material; and mill, with a charged particle beam, the high sputter yield material such that portions of the high sputter yield material is removed from the sample manipulator, and wherein at least some of the removed high sputter yield material redeposits to form an attachment between the sample manipulator and the sample, wherein the one or more processors are configured to mill the high sputter yield material by milling multiple locations on the high sputter yield material proximate to the sample, wherein each of the multiple locations are located at an edge of the high sputter yield material proximate to the sample, wherein between the multiple locations is at least one region of the high sputter yield material along the edge proximate to the sample that is not milled away, and wherein the at least some of the removed high sputter yield material redeposits to form at least one attachment between the sample and the at least one region of the high sputter yield material along the edge proximate to the sample that is not milled away, and wherein the high sputter yield material corresponds to a rate of emission of greater than 5 atoms per ion when the high sputter yield material is irradiated with a 30 kV focused ion beam.
11. The charged particle system of claim 10, wherein the sample is at cryo-temperatures.
12. The charged particle system of claim 10, wherein the high sputter yield material is copper.
13. The charged particle system of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are configured to translate the sample manipulator by translating the sample manipulator such that the portion composed of the high sputter yield material is within 10 microns proximate to the sample.
14. The charged particle system of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are configured to translate the sample manipulator by translating the sample manipulator such that the portion composed of the high sputter yield material is within one micron proximate to the sample.
15. The charged particle system of claim 10, wherein the sample manipulator comprises a probe composed of the high sputter yield material.
16. A charged particle system, the system comprising: a charged particle emitter configured to emit charged particles towards a sample; a sample holder configured to support the sample; an optical column configured to direct the charged particles to be incident on the sample; a detector system configured to detect emissions from the sample due to irradiation by the charged particles; a sample manipulator configured to manipulate the sample; one or more processors; and a memory storing non-transitory computer readable instructions, the one or more processors configured to execute the non-transitory computer readable instructions to: translate the sample manipulator so that it is proximate to the sample, wherein a portion of the sample manipulator proximate to the sample is composed of a high sputter yield material; and mill, with a charged particle beam, the high sputter yield material such that portions of the high sputter yield material is removed from the sample manipulator, and wherein at least some of the removed high sputter yield material redeposits to form an attachment between the sample manipulator and the sample, wherein the one or more processors are configured to mill the high sputter yield material by milling multiple locations on the high sputter yield material proximate to the sample, wherein each of the multiple locations are located at an edge of the high sputter yield material proximate to the sample, wherein there are multiple regions of the high sputter yield material that are not milled away along the edge of the sample proximate to the sample, and wherein the at least some of the removed high sputter yield material redeposits to form a plurality of attachments between the sample and individual ones of the at least one region of the high sputter yield material along the edge proximate to the sample that is not milled away, and wherein the high sputter yield material corresponds to a rate of emission of greater than 5 atoms per ion when the high sputter yield material is irradiated with a 30 kV focused ion beam.
17. The charged particle system of claim 16, wherein the sample is at cryo-temperatures.
18. The charged particle system of claim 16, wherein the high sputter yield material is copper.
19. The charged particle system of claim 16, wherein the one or more processors are configured to translate the sample manipulator by translating the sample manipulator such that the portion composed of the high sputter yield material is within 10 microns proximate to the sample.
20. The charged particle system of claim 19, wherein the one or more processors are configured to translate the sample manipulator by translating the sample manipulator such that the portion composed of the high sputter yield material is within one micron proximate to the sample.
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March 26, 2024
April 15, 2025
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